Unbroken Promises
by RaevanDawn
Summary: A seal is broken and a nightmare from long ago returns. The fate of his world rests on his shoulders... yet he can do nothing. Clemi, with a side of FF and HL.
1. Prologue: Rilen

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Author's Note: 

Hello everyone! –dodges tomatoes- I have pretty much given up on Worth, though I may come back and finish it later on. Advice to all: Never try to write Clef figuring out that he's in love. It's… not pretty. –sheepish- At least when I try to write it.

Well, this is my new story. This will be… fun to write. I still haven't figured out why I love seeing Clef in pain… -falls over- This is a Clef-torturing story, unlike most other stories, which are more Umi-torturing. –grins- Well, this is the prologue.

Ah, yes. Another thing. Watch out for a high school AU fic coming up soon. It will probably be on a different account, as Shimmering Rose Petals and I have teamed up to author it. It's going to REALLY fun to write… -chuckles evily and poked Clef-

Well, read and review! (definitely review!)

**Prologue **

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Tokyo  
-----

Each one of them felt it at the exact same time.

The Fire Knight Hikaru staggered back, her kendo sword tumbling to the earth, her hands grasping for her head.

The Wind Knight Fuu panted in pain, her chair flying back onto the floor as she lurched up, her knuckles a pale white as her fingernails dug into the surface of the table.

The Water Knight Umi hurled the book across the room as she writhed on the bed, not even hearing the thump that shook the house as the textbook slammed into the wall.

Then there was an invisible chain that wrapped itself around their heart, pulling them toward… toward Tokyo Tower… toward… Cephiro.

Understanding came to each of them all at once. Something had happened in Cephiro. Something bad. Before they realized exactly what they were doing, despite the pain, they were out the door and sprinting down the street- toward Tokyo Tower.

As they reached the top of the observation tower, their eyes met, and they knew that the others had felt the same thing that they had. Without words- no words were really necessary- they joined hands and willed themselves toward Cephiro.

-----  
Cephiro  
-----

"Rilen!" The name tore from the lips, and suddenly he was not aware of his pain, nor the rubble that surrounded him, nor the cries of pain that echoed throughout the remains of Cephiro's Castle. Only the girl named Rilen, the girl that stood before him now, existed to him in that delicate moment.

"Clef!" She said happily, genuinely _pleased_ to see him.

"Rilen. _Rilen_. Why did you come back? Why are you here?" He asked her, though he already knew the answer. _No… please, Mokona! Please! Don't make me do this! Oh, Rilen, why did you come back? _

"Why? Why did I come back?" She repeated, her cheerfulness of the moment before completely vanishing, a look of hate taking its place in her eyes. "You know _damn well_ why, Clef! I _swore_ that I would destroy them!" He slowly shook his head.

"You swore to kill the old Magic Knights, not the new ones! Rilen, they had _no choice_ at all! They wept for months over what they did! It was either that or die!" He said earnestly, trying desperately to make her understand, even though he knew deep inside his heart that it was futile. She just looked at him.

"I swore to destroy all the Magic Knights. And they are Magic Knights. I _will_ kill them, Clef." She said coldly.

"Rilen! Please, don't do this!" He begged her. She said nothing for a moment, then just snapped her fingers and disappeared, leaving her last words hanging in the air for his ears only.

"I'm sorry, Clef."

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Hmm... I'm not totally happy with it... I may come back later and edit it some more... 


	2. Chapter One: Revenge

Hello everyone!

I'm back with Chapter One of Unbroken Promises, and I must say that I'm a lot more proud of this one than I was of the Prologue. -smiles- It's _definitely _not perfect, and its still _way_ too short, but it's better than some others I've written...

Thank you SO much for all the reviews! I never expected to get that many reviews for that sucky prologue.

Another thing, I don't think I put this on the prologue or the summary, but this is Clemi. I luffs that pairing.

Review Responses:

Shimmering Rose Petals: Thanks! Yes, I know that it's too short. I think I'm going to go back sometime later and add a lot more description to it.

Kattygirl32132: Hmm… yes, I must warm you; I adore cliffies… most of my chapters will end on one. Luckily, this chapter doesn't, but enjoy it while you can! . And post soon on your fic! yay Clemi

Water-Mage2: Thanks! Yeah, I know it was too short… See above in Shimmering Rose Petal's response.

Kita1: Thanks! –laughs- This one will have its share of OCs… at least two more besides Rilen… .

Mimiluv: Thanks! You find out why Rilen is after them in this Chapter… :hugs back:

Pokemongirl2523: Special in a good way or special in a bad way? -grin-

Chapter One 

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Cephiro  
-----

Cephiro's Castle was completely and utterly destroyed.

"What the _hell_ happened here?" Hikaru breathed, staring around at the destruction with huge eyes. The other two girls blinked at her. They had _never_ heard her swear before, but, then again, as they themselves gazed around at the remains of the Castle, they really couldn't blame her.

"Hikaru! Umi! Fuu!" A voice cried out behind them and the three Magic Knights whirled around. Presea ran toward them, skidding to a stop only about a foot from where they stood. She brushed a lock of blonde hair out of her eyes and rubbed absently at the mud that coated her cheek. "Thank Mokona that you're here!"

"What happened?" Fuu asked softly. Presea sighed.

"I don't really know! A girl appeared out of nowhere and attacked the Castle! A bunch of people are hurt, and some people were even killed." The girls gasped and Presea lowered her eyes and nodded sadly. "Ferio, Lantis, Ascot, and Lafarga are fine, just a couple of bruises and cuts, but Caldina was knocked out." She bit her lip nervously. "I have no idea where Clef is. He disappeared when she attacked the Castle, and I haven't seen him since! I really hope that nothing happened to him… " Umi clenched her fists. _Clef… I hope nothing happened to him. It would be just like him to pull some foolish stunt and get himself killed. _

"I'm alive." A hoarse voice said from behind them and all four spun around. Umi took a sharp breath and involuntarily took a step toward him.

"Clef…" His robes were ripped and covered in grime. His headdress was completely gone, his soft lavender hair was now completely streaked with crimson blood, and a deep slash crossed his right cheek. He was leaning heavily on his staff, and Umi got the impression that he would have collapsed without it.

"Clef! What happened to you? What happened here? Do you know who that girl was!" Presea asked him urgently, her hand clasped tightly together in front of her. He slowly nodded his head, as if it pained him.

"Yes. I do. Her name is…"

"Rilen." Umi cut in without thinking. Everybody stared at her and she colored slightly. She bit her bottom lip; she knew that they were all waiting for an explanation- especially Clef, who was staring at her with a wary look in his clear blue eyes that sent a chill tingling up her spine. "We all felt something strange when this happened." She said, gesturing around. "That's how we knew to come here. I don't know about the other two, but I heard someone scream that name." She purposely left out that it was Clef's voice that she had heard, though from the odd look he was giving her she thought that he knew. Hikaru and Fuu shook their heads.

"I see…" Clef said slowly. "Well, I do not know if it was a good idea for you to come here. Rilen has a grudge against the Magic Knights. She… she…" He stopped, took a deep breath, and flexed his free hand. "She killed the last Magic Knights. The ones before you." They all just stared at him for a moment.

"Oh! I think I heard about that once… a long time ago…" Presea frowned in concentration, than shook her head in defeat. "I don't remember."

"She was powerful enough to kill all of the Magic Knights?" Hikaru asked quietly, and the Mage sighed.

"Yes. She was. Revenge can be a powerful ally."

"Revenge?" Fuu asked him, her cool eyes staring straight into his. Clef hesitated.

"Her mother was the Pillar before the Princess Emeraude. She gave birth Rilen some time before they were found out, and she had to summon the Magic Knights. Rilen has always hated the Magic Knights for killing her parents. She swore long ago that she would kill the Magic Knights, and she has taken that now to mean _all_ the Magic Knights." Clef sighed again. "She wants to kill you. That is her mission here."

"Not if I have anything to do with it." A firm voice said from behind Clef. It was Ferio, somehow looking incredibly… noble in that instant. His cape was whipping about him in the wind and his hand was gripping his sword hilt. Fuu smiled brilliantly at him and he gave her his trademark cocky grin.

Clef didn't even turn around to see who it was, and it was then that Umi saw again how hard he was gripping his staff, and how heavily he was leaning against it. She wondered if he could turn around, even had he had wanted to.

"How long have _you_ been standing there?"

"About as long as I have." Hikaru almost jumped a foot in the air when a deep voice spoke from right behind her head. Everyone laughed, and Lantis allowed himself a small smile. The tension was broken, at least partly. Lantis' dark gaze flicked over to the Wind Knight. "We need your healing skills over where we have gathered all of those that are injured."

"Oh!" Fuu said, startled that she had forgotten.

"Ah, yes. Follow me." Ferio said, motioning with his hand. The pair trotted off, Umi, Hikaru, Presea, and Lantis trailing close behind.

-----  
A Couple Hours Later  
-----

"Why did she come back, Mokona?" The lavender haired Mage murmured softly, gently stroking the fluff-ball's ears back. He could swear that the Creator almost purred.

_/It is the way of the human heart. She wishes revenge upon the people that she considers the ones that killed her parents… and she made that oath… / _Mokona's deep voice echoed solemnly in Clef's mind. Clef leaned back against a large piece of rubble and gently massaged his temples.

"How am I supposed to fight _Rilen_?" He said, placing his slender hands over his eyes.

/_You will find a way, Guru Clef. I have confidence in you./_ Then the Creator's voice took on a slightly teasing tone. _/There's someone coming that wants to talk to you. I'll leave you two alone! Have fun/ _Mokona rapidly bounced off before Clef could whack him, though Clef wasn't sure he would have had to strength to even lift his staff. The Mage glanced up and saw the blue-haired Water Knight making her way toward him through the rubble. _I suppose it's impossible to hide anything from the Creator of Cephiro._

"Umi." He acknowledged, and she gave him a sweet grin and flopped down next to him.

"Hey Clef." She said cheerfully, and he gave her a tired smile.

"Clef…" She said, her head half cocked, her blue eyes meeting his. "Are you all right?" He seemed to try to sit up straighter.

"I'm fine." He said wearily, "Just tired…" He paused, "And surprised." He shook his head slowly. "I was… there when she killed the last Magic Knights." Umi's breath caught in her throat and her eyes widened. _He… he was there? When she killed the last Magic Knights?_

"You were?" She asked him breathlessly. The small Mage nodded slowly.

"Yes. I was. I was not Master Mage then, not even close. At the time, she was far more powerful than I was… and there was nothing I could do."

"At the time…" Umi's voice trailed off. "What about now?" Clef said nothing, and the following silence was stiff with fear- Umi's… _and_ Clef's. Then he spoke again, in a very strange, low voice that she had never heard from Clef before.

"I watched them die, Umi… I stood there, unable to do anything as Rilen killed them." He took a shuddering breath and looked away. Umi's eyes filled with tears. She had never seen Clef so disturbed…

Neither said anything for a few minutes, and then Clef sighed softly. "I never thought I would see her again. I never thought that she would come after you three." Umi had never seen his blue eyes so haunted. Even though his eyes were now aimed in her direction, he was not seeing her, he was seeing back into his memories… He slowly shook his head as if to rid himself of the images. He reached up and slowly rubbed the deep gash on his cheek.

"You really should get Fuu to heal you…" She said, trying to change the subject. She hated seeing him like this… it really disturbed her. He shook his head.

"No. There are people that need her healing more than I do. I'll be fine." He said unconvincingly. Umi half-heartedly scowled at him. It was just like her Clef to refuse healing for himself so that others could be healed, even though he knew as well as she did that the slash would probably scar. Umi rested the back of her head against the boulder and forcibly wrestled her mind away from the fact that their shoulders were nearly touching.

Clef reached up and rubbed his eyes. He was tired… so tired. He had used up far too much of his energy trying to defend the Castle- and all for no point. Rilen had broken through anyway… He closed his eyes, not having enough energy to keep them open any longer.

They sat there like that for several long moments, neither moving, until Umi glanced over at him. Her face changed, and she stared, fascinated. Guru Clef was _asleep._ Umi had never seen him sleep before, and for once in his life, he looked truly young. Umi had never thought of him as a child, and never would, but he would have been mortified if he realized that Umi had seen him looking this vulnerable. A soft smile lit her features and she settled back against the rubble, and closed her eyes as well.

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Was it good or did it suck?

Please review!


	3. Chapter Two: Allies and Strange Meetings

Hello again! 

–ducks tomatoes-

Yes, I am back! There are three main reasons why I finally posted this.

I'm still sulking because Mintt deleted Wishes Can Come True.

I'm excited because Dragon of Winter Nights is going to be posting a multi chaptered Clemi fic soon (well, relatively soon O.o;;)! I love her writing! –tackleglomps-

I'm still trying to beat the image of Clef with a beard out of my head… -falls off chair- Don't ask.

Progress: I have a little bit of Worth typed up, and a general idea of the next chapter, but it'll take me a while to type it up. The next thing of mine that you will likely see up here will be a one shot.  
By the way, several new characters will be introduced in the chapter, and I hope you like them. That reminds me… 

I don't own any of the characters of Rayearth, no matter how hard I might wish I did, but I do own Valerian, Kane, Daeron and Akan.

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**Chapter Two**

Umi's Dream

_A dark haired woman stood before her, her head bowed, her fists tightly clenched at her sides, and her eyes gazing down at the tiled floor. Umi stared at her, a wary curiosity tinting her features. _

_"Who… who are you?" She asked cautiously. The woman's head jerked up, and she stared at Umi in astonishment for a second, then she clapped her hands in delight._

_"It worked!" _

_"What worked?" Umi asked her, her hands on her hips. The woman waved a hand._

_"Oh, no matter. Nothing." _

_"Uh-huh." Umi said skeptically._

_"Well, doesn't matter. Come now. Sit." She gestured to a chair that suddenly appeared out of nowhere. After glaring suspiciously at it for a second, the blue haired girl gingerly sat in it. The other women sat down in a chair that, again, appeared out of nowhere. Umi raised an eyebrow but decided not to comment. Suddenly the women stiffened, and her eyes widened, as if in pain. "We don't have much time… I thought that we'd have more… more time…" She murmured, almost to herself. _

_"Until what?" Umi asked gently. The women hesitated, inwardly debating something, then seemed to come to a decision and continued._

_"Until I lose hold on your dream. I'm not used to this." Her voice was almost a whisper. Umi's hand balled into fists._

_"Then what did you want to tell me?" She said urgently. The women looked away, not meeting her eyes. _

_"You must beware. There are things that… Clef… will not tell you about Rilen until it may be too late…" Her voice trailed off._

_"Like what?" Umi asked impatiently. She shook her head._

_"I can not tell you! I can't!" She twisted the hem of her shirt between her fingers in agitation. "Just do not underestimate her! Be prepared for anything!" Her whole body jerked as if something had struck her, and she whimpered. "I'm loosing control of the spell! I will try to contact you again as soon as I can!" Umi could feel dreams tugging at her consciousness, drawing her back. She struggled against the pull._

_"Wait! What is your name?" She cried, as the world began swirling around her. She caught a glimpse of the woman's slightly startled face. _

_"Kane! My name is Kane!" She heard someone call faintly just as the world of dreams claimed her once more._

--End Dreamscape—

--Clef-- 

Clef awoke to the sound of light laughter. He slowly opened one eye, then immediately closed it.

"Valerian…" He groaned, "I should have known…" He gave a sigh and opened both eyes to glare at the male pixie that sat perched in front of him on a piece of rubble. Valerian just grinned impishly down at him. Clef rubbed his eyes and sat up.

"So…" Valerian began, "Who's that?" He said, nodding to the girl who sat beside him. Clef turned his head, and barely resisted blushing. _Damn it… I must have fallen asleep… _

"The Magic Knight of Water." He replied shortly. Valerian raised an eyebrow.

"I'm very interested in meeting the girl who my stone-heart Clef trusts enough to fall asleep in her presence…" Valerian's voice trailed off, and he grinned at Clef with that _terribly_ annoying mischievous grin. Clef's eye twitched.

"She's a Magic Knight, what do you think she'd do? Stab me in my sleep?" He asked irritably, "Besides, I had just fought Rilen, and defended the entire castle from her… it drained my mental energy."

"You didn't trust the last Magic Knights that much." Clef froze, and the pixie desperately wished that he could take back his words. _I'm an idiot! Idiot, idiot, idiot! _Valerian fumed at himself.

The small Mage said nothing, just stood up and fairly stalked away. "Damn…" Valerian muttered under his breath, "Me and my big mouth…" He fluttered after the Mage as Clef wound his way through the rubble toward where the rest of the survivors had camped. Hikaru, Lantis, Ascot, and Presea were seated around a small campfire, and Ferio and Fuu sat over to one side, Fuu fast asleep in Ferio's lap from all the healing that she had done. Hikaru, Lantis, and Presea looked up as the Mage approached.

"Clef!" Presea said, and stood up, "There you are!" Clef gave her a curt nod.

"Who's that?" Hikaru piped up, jerking her head toward Valerian. Clef turned and Valerian was hit full force with Clef's angry glare.

"His name is Valerian." Clef snapped, "He was assigned to watch where Rilen was sealed away." Everyone's eyes widened and even Ferio looked up from Fuu.

"What happened?" Presea asked softly. "How did she escape?" Despite himself, a small smirk flitted across Valerian's face, and Clef turned and walked stiffly away from the campfire. _You can't run forever, old friend…_

"There is much you need to learn about Rilen before you will understand the answer." He murmured, lowering his eyes. Presea raised an eyebrow.

"We've got time…" The Soushi replied dryly. Valerian shook his head.

"It is not my story to tell, however odd that may seem. You will know in time." He responded gently. His eyes traveled again to the Mage, and the pixie gave a small sigh and shook his head. _And if he's the same as he was when I last knew him, he will not tell you. Baka. _

-- Umi --

Umi gradually opened one eye, then the other, and yawned. The Water Knight slowly stretched out both legs, and then bit back a groan. She raised a hand to the side of her head and gently rubbed her temples. Her legs had fallen asleep and she had a throbbing headache.

"'ello." A cheerful voice exclaimed. Umi jerked upright, her ovum gem flashing as her sword appeared in her hand. A girl, that looked to be about the same age as Umi, was leaning casually against the same piece of rubble that Umi herself had fell asleep resting against. She had cropped white hair that fell to just above her slightly pointed ears, and bright green eyes.

"Who are you? What do you want?" Umi asked suspiciously. The strange girl said nothing, just continued to stare at the Water Knight, her head cocked to one side.

"Heh." The girl gave a short, almost bitter, laugh. "So you're the Water Knight, eh? Umi."

"Yes…" Umi replied slowly.

"What do I want, eh?" The girl repeated Umi's question from a moment before, "Frankly, I'm not sure what I want. I'm not sure what I'm doing here, talking to you like this, not…" Her voice trailed off and she shook her head, and laughed again, that same short, bitter, laugh. " You might say that I have a… friend and he… told me… about you and I decided to… check you out…" She shrugged, " You could put it that way, I suppose. Heh."

She pushed herself off from piece of rubble and shrugged once more, then turned to leave. She called over her shoulder to the slightly bemused Water Knight, "I suppose… I suppose that we'll meet again, Water Knight. Umi. I… I look forward to it." She paused, "And as for my name? My name… my name is Rilen, Umi. My name is Rilen." With that, she reached one arm up toward the sky and murmured something under her breath. Umi felt the shock of powerful magic ripple through the air, and Rilen's outline began to shimmer, and she disappeared.

_That? That was Rilen!_

-- Kane --

"What happened?" That sounded like Daeron.

"I don't know! I just found her like this!" Who was that? It sounded vaguely familiar.

"What the hell was she thinking? She knows she doesn't have enough control to do a spell like that! She could have killed herself!" Daeron again.

"QUIET! She needs QUIET!" A third voice roared. That could only be Akan. Only Akan had the guts to yell at Daeron. Only Akan… and Clef.

"Clef…" Kane moaned.

"Clef? What about him?" A gentle voice inquired. Daeron.

"Clef…" She moaned again. She struggled to open her eyes. "Daeron… listen… to me… Rilen… is gone… escaped… oh Clef…" Mustering all the strength that she had left, she reached up and clutched at the collar of Dearon's shirt, bringing his face down until it was inches from her own. "Daeron… she's after the Magic Knights… we must… help them… _somehow_… oh Clef…"

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So, how did you like it? I know it was really short, but it's better than nothing, right? 

I'm sorry for the overabundance of OCCs, but the only OCC's that you'll really see much of is Rilen and Valerian. Kane and Dearon will play minor roles.

Please leave reviews! I luff them!

Reaven-chan

PS: By the way, in case you hadn't noticed... I like using dreamscapes in my stories. -nodnod- You will probably see alot of more them... -hides-


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